Condom with spiral crisscross ribbing

ABSTRACT

A condom includes a plurality of intersecting spiral ribs extending in two different directional planes along at least a portion of the surface between the open and closed ends of the condom, with each rib being oriented at an angle of about 15° to the transverse axis of the condom.

RELATED APPLICATION

This Application takes priority from co-pending Provisional ApplicationSerial No. 60/158,558, filed on Oct. 8, 1999, under the same title. ThisApplication is also related to co-pending design application Ser. No.09/120,584, filed herewith for “Condom With Crisscross Ribbing”.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to prophylactic devices usedboth for birth control and prevention of sexually transmitted disease,and more particularly to a condom with a textured surface for enhancedtactile stimulation of both the female and male partners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Condoms in the form of a sheath, are worn over the penis to help preventpregnancy and/or transmission of sexually transmitted diseases such assyphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia infections, genital herpes and AIDS, forexample, during sexual intercourse. Condoms are typically composed ofthin barrier membranes of latex or similar elastomeric materials foroptimizing sensitivity, tactile sensation and heat transference duringintercourse. Recognizing the material and thinness that condomstypically comprise, the risk of a break or tear in a condom duringsexual intercourse is always a significant concern in condom design andmanufacturing.

Generally, condoms are made by a dipping process, whereby anappropriately dimensioned mold or mandrel is dipped into a latex rubberemulsion, for example, formulated with various curing (vulcanizing)agents and accelerators. The mandrel, coated with the latex rubberemulsion, is withdrawn and subjected to elevated temperatures for dryingand curing of the latex rubber to achieve the desired physicalproperties. The cured condom is then stripped from the mandrel androlled into a toroidal configuration for packaging. The condom is donnedby unrolling it down the shaft of the penis.

It is known in the art to include cross ribs or other projections alonginternal or external surfaces of a condom for the purpose of stimulatingthe male and female during sexual intercourse. The textured surface ofsuch condoms provides increased frictional and tactual kinetics forenhancing tactile sensation and stimulation. Typically, the ribs orprojections are integrally formed on a surface of the condom resultingfrom the use of grooves or notches etched in the surface of the mandrelduring the dipping process. The design of the ribs or projections rangesfrom interrupted rings canted with respect to the radial plane tohelical patterns of various ribbed arrangements.

A problem to be overcome in designing and manufacturing ribbed/texturedcondoms is to avoid breakage or tearing during use. The problem islinked to the configuration of the grooves or notches for forming theribs or projections in the mandrel during the dipping step previouslydescribed. When a smooth mandrel is withdrawn from the latex rubberemulsion, the uncured liquid latex rubber flows downward for ideallyforming a uniform coating or layer. However, as the uncured latex rubberreadily flows along the surface of a notched mandrel, the grooves ornotches in the mandrels interfere with the uniform flow causingpotential backfill problems which can result in the formation ofundesirable weak spots in the condom and nonuniformity in wallthickness.

It would therefore be a significant advance in the art of condoms todevelop a textured condom which provides enhanced tactile sensation toboth the male and female partner while avoiding the weak spots and theresulting failures that can be associated with prior art ribbed/texturedcondoms. An additional benefit of the condoms of the present inventionis that these condoms are capable of being fabricated in a costefficient and effective manner, using known conventional methods ofcondom production. This enables manufacturing facilities to produce theimproved condoms with minimal retooling and/or changes to existingequipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a condom comprised of acontinuous elastic tubular wall with a closed distal end and an openproximal end and a plurality of ribbing projections integrally formed ona surface of and extending along an area of the wall between the distaland the proximal end, the projections each having sidewalls extending aheight from the outside surface.

In particular, one aspect of the present invention is directed to acondom which comprises:

a continuous elastic tubular wall including a closed distal end and anopen proximal end; and

a plurality of intersecting ribbing projections integrally formed on asurface of and extending along at least a portion of the area of thewall from the distal to the proximal end, said projections each havingsidewalls extending a height from the surface.

In another aspect of the present invention, the condom comprises:

a continuous elastic tubular wall including a closed end and an opposingopen end; and

a plurality of intersecting spiral ribbing extending along two differentdirectional planes for forming an interlocking closed micromesh patternon a surface of said condom, said pattern extending along at least aportion of the area on a surface of said wall between the closed andopen ends of said condom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are described in detail below withreference to the drawings, in which like items are identified by thesame reference designation, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a front elevational view of a condom having a texturedsurface for a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the condom with size dimensionsindicated;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the condom in a flattenedcondition with the associated size dimensions indicated;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a mandrel utilized for the fabricationof the condom of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded elevational view of a portion of the mandrel ofFIG. 4 illustrating the angles of mandrel recesses for forming the ribsof the condom in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6A is a front elevational view of a condom for a second embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 6B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a front elevational view of a condom for a third embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 7B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a front elevational view of a condom for a fourth embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 8B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A is a front elevational view of a condom for a fifth embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 9B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10A is a front elevational view of a condom for a sixth embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 10B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 10C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11A is a front elevational view of a condom for a seventhembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 12A is a front elevational view of a condom for an eighthembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12B is a top plan view of the condom of FIG. 12A; and

FIG. 12C is a bottom plan view of the condom of FIG. 12A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a condom having atextured surface. The condom is fabricated with the advantage ofproviding enhanced tactile stimulation of the female partner andpreserving the sensitivity and heat transference qualities of the condomwhile avoiding the weak spots and nonuniformity of condom wall thicknesstypically associated with prior art ribbed/textured condoms. Inaddition, the condoms may be fabricated easily in a cost efficient andeffective manner using known conventional methods of making condoms.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a condom 10 of the present invention includes atubular wall 12 of latex or similar elastomeric material, a closeddistal end 14, an open proximal end 16 and a plurality of intersectingspiral ribs 18 extending along two different directional planesintegrally formed on a surface 20 of the condom 10. The condom 10 ispreferably formed of a single, homogenous prophylactically impervious,elastomeric material such as latex or polyurethane, for example. Anipple 22 may also be included at the distal end 14 for capturingejaculated semen.

Referring to FIG. 1B, a top plan view of the condom is shown. The outerperiphery is substantially round with the nipple 22 located centrallytherefrom. The spiral ribs 18 begin to extend along a surface 20 of thecondom 10 at a distance from the nipple 22. Referring to FIG. 1C, abottom plan view of the condom 10 is shown. The interior of the tubularwall 12 is smooth with a reservoir cavity 23 enclosed by the nipple 22disposed at the end therein. A ring 34 is rolled at the open end 16 (seeFIG. 1A) of the tubular wall 12 for preventing tears along its baseperiphery 25.

The dimensions of the condom 10 are shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and3, respectively, for example. FIG. 2 shows the inner diameter and lengthof the condom 10 as indicated by arrows 33 and 39, respectively, and thepreferable length of the nipple 22 and the area of the ribs 18 asindicated by arrow 37. However, it will be understood that the ribs 18may begin and end at any point on surface 20 of the condom 10. FIG. 3shows the same condom 10 in the flattened condition with a flat width of54 mm as indicated by arrow 31. These dimensions are shown forillustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting in scope.Other sizes, dimensions and pattern area coverage may be utilized asrequired for making condoms of different sizes and/or shapes.

Referring again to FIG. 1A, the condom 10 includes a ribbing pattern 24that is configured to provide stimulating pleasurable sensation andsensual excitement for both the male and female partners. Each of theribs 18 is slightly raised above the surface 20 for increased frictionaland tactual kinetics in the female during intercourse. The condom 10utilizes the ribbing pattern 24 almost the full length of the condom 10.However, the length of the pattern 24 is not limited as such and may bevaried as required. The ribs 18 are generally parallel to others of thesame directional plane and uniformly spaced about the circumference ofthe condom 10. The spiral ribs 18 each include opposing ends 25 locatedin conjunction with the ends of the ribbing pattern 24. The rib ends 25each remain open. The dimension of the ribs 18 are preferably in a rangeof 0.001 inch to 0.050 inch high, and more preferably 0.002 inch to0.004 inch with a nominal height of about 0.0025 inch, from the adjacentsurface of the condom 10, and in a range of 0.0001 inch to 0.050 inch inthickness.

The spiral ribs 18 which produces the ribbing pattern 24 continuouslyextends in either two different directional planes and intersect atvarious points, similar to an “X”, to create an interlocking closedmicromesh pattern.

The integral structure of the condom wall 12 and the ribs 18 aresimultaneously provided in the dipping process. The condom 10 is formedby the dipping of a preformed stainless steel, aluminum, plastic orglass mandrel into a latex solution, in this example. The latex solutiontends to adhere to the mandrel outer surface, and flows along thesurface to provide a uniform latex coating which ultimately forms thecondom wall 12. In order to provide the integral ribs 18, the desiredrib pattern is initially cut into the mandrel corresponding to theribbing pattern 24 of the condom 10 to be formed. Accordingly, thepattern of the mandrel recesses corresponds in a mirror image fashion tothe ribbing pattern 24 of the condom 10.

Referring to FIG. 4, a mandrel 26 for forming the condom 10 (see FIG.1A) of the present invention is shown. The mandrel 26 is preferablycomposed of glass, though other appropriate material may be utilized aswell. The length of the mandrel 26 is about 360+/−3 mm, in this example.The thickness of the glass mandrel wall is about 2 mm and the outerdiameter is about 36 mm. A plurality of recesses 28 are etched into anouter surface 30 for forming the ribbing pattern 24 of the condom 10.The etch depth may range from about 0.002 inch to about 0.004 inch witha nominal depth of about 0.0025 inch, and the width ranges from 0.0001inch to 0.002 inch, for example. The recesses 28 are shaped in the formof a “V” which is generally accomplished by acid etching techniques. Theshape and depth of the recesses 28 is controlled by acid strength anddwell time.

Etching of the glass mandrel 26 is accomplished by coating the glasswith wax, scratching off the wax in the areas constituting the desiredetch area, exposing the glass to hydrofluoric acid, regulating the acidstrength and dwell time, and removing the glass mandrel 26 from the acidupon completion and neutralizing with soda and water. The wax is thenremoved and the glass mandrel 26 is left with the etched pattern in itsouter surface 30. The etched pattern is then flame polished to removeany sharp edges produced during the etching process, to avoid weak areasin the polymeric film formed on the mandrel 26 during the dippingprocess. Also undercutting of the glass surface must be avoided duringthe etching process. The etched pattern begins at or near the distal end32 and continues at least 5 inches along the shaft towards the other end36. However, it must be understood that the etched pattern may begin andend anywhere along the shaft of the mandrel 26 depending on the desiredcondom 10 (see FIG. 1A) resultantly formed therefrom. Additionally, itis, of course, possible to provide ribs of increased thickness or heightby increasing the depth of the recesses cut into the mandrel.

The immersion of the mandrel 26 with the distal end 32 first into thelatex solution results in the formation of a condom 10 having a wall 12(see FIG. 1A) including the peripherally extending ribs 18 on thesurface 20. The inside or interior surface of the condom 10 is smooth asa result of the flow properties of the latex solution which evenlydistribute the latex on the mandrel 26 during the dipping process. Themandrel 26 is generally dipped twice to generate the desired thickness.A ring 34 (see FIG. 1) is rolled and the latex is cured with heat. Thefinished condom 10 is leached, washed, and coated with powder. Prior tobeing foiled the condom 10 is turned inside out so that the ribs 18,which are initially molded on the interior surface, are on the outside.The condom 10 may be foiled dry, or lubricated with silicone or anappropriate anti-friction agent, and/or with a spermicidal agent foradded protection against pregnancy. Note that the condom 10 can also bemade from known synthetic elastomers, for example, polyurethane, andneoprene, through use of the appropriate dipping solutions andtechnology.

Referring to FIG. 5, an exploded close-up view of the mandrel 26 of FIG.4 is shown. The angles of two individual mandrel recesses 28 a and 28 bare shown for a preferred embodiment of the invention. Individual recess28 a extends along the surface 30 in one direction and individual recess28 b extends therealong in another direction. Each individual recess 28a, 28 b are oriented at an angle in the preferred range of 0° and 90°,and more preferably at about 15° to the horizontal axis 40. In thelatter angle magnitude as shown in FIG. 5, the intersections of the twoindividual recesses 28 a,28 b together form two sets of preferredangles, 30° and 150°. The pattern configuration and the associatedpreferred angles of the individual recesses 28 a, 28 b is integral tothe advantage of the present invention as will be described hereinafter.

The recesses 28 a and 28 b in combination form a recess pattern 35 withthe associated angles shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. Theconfiguration of the recess pattern 35 minimizes the formation of weakspots in the wall 12 of the condom 10 (see FIG. 1A) during the dippingand curing process.

Typically, with prior art ribbed/textured condoms, the mandrel recessesfor forming the ribbing or projections on the condom, interferes withthe normal flow of uncured latex rubber over the mandrel surfacegenerating areas of backfills and uneven distribution. This backfillingand uneven latex distribution during the dipping process eventuallyresults in the formation weak areas in the wall of the cured condom. Theresulting weak areas are susceptible to rupture and/or tearing.

In the present invention, the cross-hatched pattern and the angles ofthe recesses 28 a and 28 b of the mandrel 26 for forming the ribs 18minimizes the flow disruption of the uncured latex rubber and providesan even distribution of latex rubber over the mandrel 26 minimizingareas of backfill for reducing or eliminating weak areas in theresulting condom 10. To further minimize the formation of weak areas,the recesses 28 further include end portions 37 (FIG. 5) for forming therib ends 25 of the condom 10 (see FIG. 1A). The end portions 37 arearranged in a manner to minimize the backfill problem especially at theends of the ribbing pattern 24 which are especially vulnerable toformation of weak areas in the condom wall 12.

The following embodiments as will be shown and described hereinillustrate the various forms of condoms that may be used in conjunctionof with the use of the ribbing pattern 24 of condom 10. The embodimentsshown are not construed to be limited to such and may include variationsin sizes, shapes, areas having the ribbing pattern 24, and otherconfigurations.

Referring to FIG. 6A, a condom 42 is shown for a second embodiment ofthe invention. The shape of the condom 42 is the same as the embodimentshown in FIG. 1A. In the present embodiment, the condom 42 includesthree spaced apart bands 44 of the spiral intersecting ribs 18 forforming the ribbing pattern 44 extending along portions of the surface20 of the condom wall 12. A top plan view of the condom 42 is shown inFIG. 6B. A bottom plan view of the condom 42 is shown in FIG. 6C.

Referring to FIG. 7A, a condom 46 is shown for a third embodiment of theinvention. The condom 46 includes a baseball bat shape where the wall 12tapers slightly from the substantially blunt closed distal end 14 downto the open proximal end 16. The condom 46 further includes a portion 48comprised of intersecting spiral ribs 18 for forming the ribbing patternextending along the surface 20 of the condom wall 12. A top plan view ofthe condom 46 is shown in FIG. 7B. A bottom plan view of the condom 46is shown in FIG. 7C.

Referring to FIG. 8A, a condom 50 is shown for a fourth embodiment ofthe invention. The condom 50 is very similar to the embodiment shown inFIG. 7A. However, the condom 50 includes a plurality of spaced apartbands 52 of intersecting spiral ribs 18 for forming the ribbing patternextending along portions of the surface 20 of the condom wall 12. A topplan view of the condom 50 is shown in FIG. 8B. A bottom plan view ofthe condom 50 is shown in FIG. 8C.

Referring to 9A, a condom 54 is shown for a fifth embodiment of theinvention. The condom 54 includes a substantially cylindrical wall 12and a bulbous portion 56 proximate the closed distal end 14. The condom54 further includes a textured portion 58 having the ribbing patternextending along a section of the surface 20 of the condom 54. A top planview of the condom 54 is shown in FIG. 9B. A bottom plan view of thecondom 54 is shown in FIG. 9C.

Referring to FIG. 10A, a condom 60 is shown for a sixth embodiment ofthe invention. The shape of the condom 60 is the same as the previousembodiment illustrated in FIG. 9A, however, the condom 60 includes aplurality of spaced apart bands 62 of the ribbing pattern extendingalong portions of the surface 20 thereof. A top plan view of the condom60 is shown in FIG. 10B. A bottom plan view of the condom 60 is shown inFIG. 10C.

Referring to FIG. 11A, a condom 62 is shown for a seventh embodiment ofthe invention. The condom 62 includes a substantially cylindrical wall12 with an inwardly curving midportion 64 and a flattened surface 66around the nipple 22 at the closed distal end 14. A portion 68 of thesurface 20 immediately below the midportion 64 includes the intersectingspiral ribs 18 for forming the ribbing pattern. A top plan view of thecondom 62 is shown in FIG. 11B. A bottom plan view of the condom 62 isshown in FIG. 11C.

Referring to FIG. 12A, a condom 68 is shown for an eighth embodiment ofthe invention. The shape of the condom 68 is the same as the previousembodiment illustrated in FIG. 11A. The condom 68 includes a pluralityof spaced apart bands 70 with the intersecting ribs 18 extending alongportions of the surface 20 thereof. More particularly, two of the bands70 are located below the curving midportion 64 and the remaining band 70extends around a portion below the flattened surface 66 at the closeddistal end 14. A top plan view of the condom 68 is shown in FIG. 12B. Abottom plan view of the condom 68 is shown in FIG. 12C.

Although various embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, they are not meant to be limiting. Those of skill in the artmay recognize various modifications to these embodiments, whichmodifications are meant to be covered by the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A condom comprising: a continuous elastic tubularwall including a closed distal end and an open proximal end; and aplurality of intersecting ribbing projections integrally formed on asurface of and extending along at least a portion of the area of thewall from the distal to the proximal end, said projections each havingsidewalls extending a height from the surface; said tubular wall, andsaid plurality of intersecting ribbing projections being formed togetherfrom a single, homogenous elastomeric material.
 2. A condom comprising:a continuous elastic tubular wall including a closed distal end and anopposing open proximal end; and a plurality of intersecting spiralribbings extending along two different directional planes for forming aninterlocking closed micromesh pattern on a surface of said condom, saidpattern extending along at least a portion of the area on the surface ofsaid wall between closed distal and open proximal ends of said condom;said tubular wall, and said plurality of intersecting spiral ribbingsbeing formed together from a single, homogenous elastomeric material. 3.The condom of claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of intersectingspiral ribbings are on the order of a range of 0.001 inch to 0.050 inchin height, and 0.0001 inch to 0.050 inch in thickness.
 4. The condom ofclaim 2, wherein said plurality of spiral ribbings extend along itsrespective directional plane at an angle between 0° and 90° from thetransverse axis of said condom.
 5. The condom of claim 2, wherein saidplurality of spiral ribbings extend along its respective directionalplane at an angle of about 15° from the transverse axis of said condom.6. The condom of claim 2, wherein said plurality of spiral ribbingsbegins proximate said closed distal end and terminates at about fiveinches therefrom.
 7. The condom of claim 2, wherein said condom consistsof a latex-based elastomeric material.
 8. The condom of claim 2, whereinsaid condom consists of a synthetic elastomeric material.
 9. The condomof claim 2, wherein said closed distal end further includes a nippleshaped reservoir.
 10. The condom of claim 2, wherein said closedmicromesh pattern extends along two or more spaced apart portions of thesurface thereof.
 11. The condom of claim 10, wherein said surfaceincludes three spaced apart portions having the closed micromeshpattern.
 12. The condom of claim 2, wherein the tubular wall includes ablunt closed distal end, and side portions which tapers from the closedto the opposing open end.
 13. The condom of claim 12, wherein saidclosed micromesh pattern extends along two or more spaced apart portionsof the surface thereof.
 14. The condom of claim 13, wherein said surfaceincludes three spaced apart portions having the closed micromeshpattern.
 15. The condom of claim 2, wherein the distal end includes abulbous shaped portion having a diameter greater than the adjacentportion of the tubular wall proximate the opposing open proximal end.16. The condom of claim 15, wherein the micromesh pattern extends alonga portion of the surface immediately below the bulbous shaped portion.17. The condom of claim 15, wherein the micromesh pattern extends alongtwo or more spaced apart portions of the surface.
 18. The condom ofclaim 17, wherein said surface includes three spaced apart portionshaving the closed micromesh pattern.
 19. The condom of claim 2, whereinthe tubular wall includes a blunt closed distal end, and a substantiallycylindrical side portions with an inwardly curving portion at a distancefrom the closed distal end.
 20. The condom of claim 19, wherein saidmicromesh pattern extends along a side portion proximate said curvingportion of said tubular wall.
 21. The condom of claim 19, wherein saidmicromesh pattern extends along two or more spaced apart side portionsproximate said curving portion of said tubular wall.
 22. The condom ofclaim 21, wherein the surface includes three spaced apart side portionswith said micromesh pattern.